MILAN - We look at the science behind FC Internazionale's new home shirt for the 2014/15 campaign.
NIKE DRI-FIT TECHNOLOGY
Nike Dri-Fit technology draws sweat away from the body to the exterior of the shirts and shorts where it quickly evaporates. This helps players to perform at their absolute best by remaining cooler, drier and more comfortable.
The laser-cut ventilation holes and mesh panels featured in key areas of the kit are designed to increase air circulation to the players’ bodies to help regulate their temperatures throughout ninety minutes on the pitch.
The kits are made of a new dual-knit fabric consisting of both cotton and recycled polyester, which as well as helping remove sweat offer a softer feel and an overall more flattering appearance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Nike continues to place environmental sustainability at the heart of their kits, which are again made from recycled polyester this year. These kits have been created to provide both unrivalled performance benefits and lower environmental impact.
The kits are made from recycled plastic water bottles. The shorts are 100 percent recycled polyester; the shirts are 96 percent recycled polyester, while the socks are 78 percent.
Each kit is made using an average of 18 recycled plastic bottles, and over the last four years Nike has diverted almost two billion of these bottles from landfills to produce their kits.
By using recycled polyester Nike is also reducing the energy consumed in the entire process by up to 30 percent.
A NEW AND UPDATED PERFECT FIT
Nike took 3D body scans of many of the world’s leading footballers to create a kit with an updated and perfect new fit. The new fit allows the body to move more naturally within the kit, and so effortlessly improves players’ comfort and performance.
The Nike Elite Match fit sock for 2014 also boasts a sleeker and updated design created especially for football.
Nike’s designers spoke to many of today’s elite players to gain an insight in to what they wanted from a sock during a game. There are now strategically cushioned zones to provide comfort and protection around the big toe and the anklebones where the majority of impact occurs, while arch support provides a firm foundation for the foot to prevent any slipping.
NIKE PRO BASELAYER
To provide players with the very best innovation for modern football, the Nike Pro baselayer to be worn underneath the match-day kit is the lightest ever and boasts increased breathability.
There is a full range of baselayer styles for players to wear whatever the conditions, allowing them to remain cool and dry at the height of summer, and warm and dry in the depths of winter.
The Nike baselayer short has also been redesigned for 2014 after a comprehensive study of the needs of the world’s leading players.
“When we asked players to talk about the kind of protection they need during a match, several of them showed us scars on their upper-back hip area from sliding,” says Nike’s Global Creative Director Martin Lotti. “We set out to add more protection, while not in any way sacrificing the need for lightweight breathability.”
The Nike Pro Combat Ultralight Slider Short has been designed to meet these specific needs and allow players to now tackle and go to ground with even greater confidence.
Featuring increased abrasion protection zones to match the players’ sliding pattern, the short is also 20 percent lighter than previous designs and made with 87 percent recycled polyester. A mesh area has been added to cool the areas that generate the most heat.
